How to Prevent and Treat Intestinal Parasites in Cats
What are intestinal parasites in cats?
Intestinal parasites are typically worms or single-cell organisms called protozoa that inhabit the gastrointestinal tracts of our cats, usually the small intestine, and sometimes the large intestine.
How do intestinal parasites impact the health and well-being of your cat?
Unfortunately, they're parasites, which means that they take advantage of your cat's resources to benefit themselves while negatively affecting your cat. We can often see symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, blood loss, and weight loss when there is an overabundance of intestinal parasites.
What preventive measures can I take to ensure my cat does not get worms or other parasites?
There are two main ways: a prophylactic deworming or a regular deworming schedule that will consistently keep those bugs at bay by killing them off intermittently. We usually recommend either monthly or quarterly, depending on your cat's lifestyle.
Additionally, preventing external parasites that can transmit intestinal parasites, especially fleas, will reduce the risk of picking up internal parasites, most specifically tapeworms, which come from fleas.
What are some signs and symptoms of intestinal parasites in your cat?
Sometimes these can be quite subtle. Often, we'll notice mild diarrhea, which could progress into severe bloody diarrhea. We can see vomiting; sometimes the load gets so high that they'll actually vomit the worms, but any vomiting can be a sign of intestinal parasites.
Also, weight loss with a ravenous appetite can indicate intestinal parasites.
Can you see worms in your cat's stool?
Unfortunately, sometimes you can. If you see long spaghetti-like tapeworms or rice-like segments, it means your pet has a lot of intestinal parasites. Often, they can have intestinal parasites without visible worms in the stool, which is why we conduct a fecal centrifugation or a DX antigen test. Here, we're looking for the microscopic eggs of those intestinal parasites or detecting the DNA parts of those parasites so that if they have a lighter load, we can address it before seeing signs.
When should my cat see a veterinarian for deworming?
Ideally, we want to do this prophylactically to avoid any clinical signs. A yearly checkup is the best time for us as veterinarians to discuss your cat's lifestyle and create a tailored deworming program. It will vary depending on if they're outside hunting and picking up little critters versus sitting on the couch in the house alone.
If you have any questions about which deworming protocol and management process would be best for your cat, give us a call at one of our four locations so we can get you on the right track for deworming your kitties.
If you’re looking for veterinary care you can trust, call us at (814) 756-4441 or email [email protected]. We’re here to keep your pet healthy, happy, and thriving!